| gen. |
used to indicate that a word or statement is perhaps not exact though practically right: as if it were so (Synonyms: so to speak, in a manner of speaking, in a way
 wiktionary.org); used to draw attention to the use of a metaphor, sometimes to prevent confusion or to highlight wordplay (She gave all of the women seated at the restaurant food for thought, as it were. • Concerns that cloud seeding might “steal” water from an area a cloud is traveling toward—robbing Peter to water Paul, as it were—have been dispelled. wiktionary.org) |
